TVA to Retire Coal-Fired Power Plant, Construct 1,450-MW Combined-Cycle Natural Gas Plant

The Tennessee Valley Authority on Jan. 10 said it has decided to retire its Cumberland Fossil Plant and build a 1,450-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas facility by 2026.

Task Force Recommends Decorah, Iowa, City Council Take Next Steps on Municipalization

A task force created by the City Council of Decorah, Iowa, recommends that the City Council proceed with the next steps in the process of pursuing municipalization, including holding a referendum on municipalization.
Brillion

Prestigious award, full-scale deployments, and new engagement platform functionality highlight 2022


Apogee Interactive, Inc., a leading provider of customer engagement and energy analysis software for utilities, announced today record performance and results for their utility clients in 2022.

Major highlights include:
• A prestigious utility industry award.
• Multiple utility pilot deployments with some of the largest IOUs in the country went full scale.
• New functionality for Apogee’s customer engagement platform.

Prestigious utility award for Personalized Video Reliability Reports


The year brought recognition from Chartwell’s well-respected EMACS awards, with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) winning the 2022 Best Practices Gold Communications Award for their use of Apogee’s Personalized Video Messaging. This marked the utility industry’s first use of Personalized Video Messaging to communicate residential reliability. The Personalized Video Reliability Reports showed each customer their electric reliability compared to the previous year. Results showed that more than half of customers had a more favorable impression of ComEd after watching the video.

Forward-looking utilities adopting and expanding the use of Apogee’s digital engagement platform

Apogee’s clients include many of the nation’s largest, most innovative, and forward-looking utilities across Investor-Owned Utilities, Municipal, and Cooperative industry segments. In 2022, utilities started pilots, upgraded subscriptions to include personalized video messaging, or decided to deploy full-scale solutions, resulting in millions of additional utility customers receiving relevant messaging as utilities see the value of proactive and personalized communications.

Recent case studies have proven that utilities partnering with Apogee in 2022 reaped the benefits of using the robust digital communications platform that provides year-round support and includes customized marketing strategies that meet and exceed their goals.
Using Apogee’s proprietary engagement and communication platform, utilities are achieving increased customer awareness, driving higher program participation, reducing high bill calls, and producing higher customer satisfaction.

During 2022, utilities using the platform have seen extraordinary results:
• 20+ million personalized messages sent
• 37 million utility programs promoted
• 10% increase in program participation
• Click-through rates averaging more than 15%
• 93%+ utility customers reported they did not need to contact the call center after receiving Apogee’s personalized video bill explanation
• Apogee’s Energy Advisor application identified $319 million in energy savings and over 1.7 million metric tons of carbon reduction.


New platform capabilities for expanded customer engagement

Apogee continued its successful decades-long communications platform expansion, including tools that educate customers on essential topics, including rate and payment options, reliability, electric vehicles, renewables, and energy efficiency programs. New functionality rolled out to existing Apogee clients in late 2022 includes Energy Monitor and an advanced EV Rate Calculator.

Jim Malcom, COO of Apogee Interactive, stated, “Apogee is pleased with the results our utility clients have seen in 2022 and are looking forward to expanding several large pilots to full scale in 2023. Our robust digital platform, customized strategy, and ongoing support has proven to be an asset for our utility clients.”

About Apogee

Apogee Interactive, Inc. is a leading provider of customer engagement services for utilities, serving the energy industry since 1993. Apogee’s customer engagement platform helps utilities establish ongoing digital relationships with customers, helping them engage and educate customers, reduce costs, achieve behavioral energy efficiency, and grow customer satisfaction. Apogee’s solution enables personalized, relevant, video-based messaging through multiple channels, drives self-service, and improves operational efficiencies through marketing automation. Apogee’s loyal client base includes Commonwealth Edison, Liberty Utilities, ConEd, Duquesne, Tampa Electric, People’s Gas, CenterPoint, Xcel Energy, LADWP, and hundreds of other IOU, municipal, cooperative, and gas utilities. For more information, visit www.apogee.net or LinkedIn.


Contact: Karen Morris kmorris@apogee.net 678-684-6801

EPPC Awards Webinar
Customer Service

Anatomy of Award-Winning Communications: Examining EPPC Awards Winners

Gain insight into the judging process for our annual EPPC Awards and learn tips to improve application write-ups and fine-tune submission materials.

Texas Utility Regulators Adopt Performance Credit Mechanism Electric Market Design

The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Jan. 19 voted to adopt a performance credit mechanism electric market design option and a set of guiding principles for implementation to “strengthen reliability, accountability, and affordability of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas electric grid.”

New National Electrical Safety Code to Go Into Effect in February Includes Several Key Changes

The latest edition of the National Electrical Safety Code will go into effect on Feb. 1 and includes a number of key changes. The American Public Power Association will hold a virtual training next month related to the new NESC.

Public Power is a Family Calling for Recipient of APPA Scholarship

For Joshua Nunn, who received a scholarship from the American Public Power Association’s Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments program and started work this month at the public power utility in Rocky Mount, N.C., public power is a family calling.

Joy Ditto Resigns as APPA President and CEO; Jeff Haas to Serve in Acting Capacity

Statement from APPA Board Chair Tony Cannon American Public Power Association (APPA) President and CEO Joy Ditto has resigned her position, effective January 31. The Board is launching a nationwide...

CPS Energy Board of Trustees Approves Generation Planning Portfolio

The Board of Trustees for Texas public power utility CPS Energy on Jan. 23 voted to approve a generation planning portfolio that includes a blend of gas, solar, wind and energy storage.

Lower Colorado River Authority to Build Peaker Plant in Texas

The Lower Colorado River Authority on Jan. 24 said that it will build a new peaker power plant in Central Texas to provide an additional 190 megawatts of dispatchable power to the Texas power grid.